by Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sports

by Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sports

The International Swimming Hall of Fame took back its invite to USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus on Monday. After a group of 19 women who said they were sexually abused by U.S. swim coaches petitioned the International Swimming Hall of Fame last week, Wielgus withdrew from consideration.

"After significant reflection and discussion, International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) chairwoman Donna deVarona and President/CEO Bruce Wigo, and USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus jointly announce that Mr. Wielgus' name will be withdrawn from consideration of the Hall of Fame," the statement read.

"The induction ceremony should be a time to celebrate our sport and the outstanding accomplishments of the individuals being honored. Both ISHOF and USA Swimming believe our mutual decision is in the best interest of the swimming community as a whole and we are committed to working constructively together with other organizations, including the Women's Sports Foundation, to end sexual abuse and ensure a safe culture for athletes."

The Women's Sports Foundation praised the move. "While this is a difficult action taken by both parties, it is without a doubt the appropriate outcome," the organization's statement said. "His decision sends a clear and powerful message â?¦ not only must there be zero tolerance for sexual abuse, but also that leaders must do all within their power to protect the victims, perform competent investigations and remove abusers from positions of access and power."

The group, which included long distance swimmer Diana Nyad, along with other current or former swimmers, coaches, family members and advocates reached out to the Women's Sports Foundation to protest Wielgus' induction.

Under the direction of Nancy Hogshead-Makar, an Olympic gold medalist and the Women's Sport Foundation's senior director of advocacy, the group sent a six-page letter to the Hall of Fame's board of directors, detailing their case.

The group argued that Wielgus, in his 17 years as executive director, has not effectively combated sexual abuse in the sport during most of his tenure.

The letter said that as of May 1, 2014, "more than 100 USA Swimming coaches have been banned for life, making this one of the worst sexual abuse scandals in the US Olympics sports world. Many of these coaches had well-known, long histories of sexual abuse, yet Wielgus enabled these men to continue to coach for years."

In January, USA Swimming released an independent review of its Safe Sport program conducted by the Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center. An eight-person task force was appointed to review the findings and make recommendations for implementation. The review measured USA Swimming's abuse-prevention program against the best practices of other youth-serving sports organizations, assessing its effectiveness and offering recommendations for improvement.